Ear protector



Nov. 4, 1941.

M. LEAF EAR PROTECTOR Filed Feb. 28, 1940 INVENTOR MANUEL LEAF. MPMLQLU ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 4, 1941 UNlTED "starts PAT NT OFFICE:

EARPROTECTOR Manuel Leaf, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application February 28, 1940, Serial No. 321,201- 5- Claims. (or. 132-45) This invention relates to ear protectors of the type used for protecting the ears of ladies against ablast of hot air used to dry the hair which has been set while wet. Among the objects of the invention is an ear protector formed of a fiat flexible sheet having a curved outer boundary and a separation extending inwardly therefrom, designed to be shipped and stored in flat form, the elements of the sheet adjoining the separation serving as junction elements and embodying retaining means which make it possible to retain them in .overlapped relation in which the flat sheet assumes a hollow cup-shaped-like formation and is able to serve as a relatively stiff ear protector which may be readily slipped under .the hair over the ear, under the hair net placed on the previously set wet hair without disturbing the hair.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be best understood from the following description of exemplifications thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, where- Fig. 1 is a view illustrating a hair net held on the head of a lady afterthe hair has been set,

with the ear protectors held under the net over the ears of the user; n

Fig. 2 is an outer viewof a hollow cup-shaped ear protector exemplifying one form of the invention; a

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a flat sheet in the form in which the ear protector vof Figs.

2 and 3 is shipped ready for shaping into hollow shape; and I Figs. 5 to 7 are views similar to Figs. 2 .to 4 illustrating another form of the invention.

When a ladys hair is set following a hair treatment, such as waving or washing, the hair is shaped and pinned while still wet. Frequently, the wet hair is shaped, to overlie the ears, in the form of ringlets, for instance. After the hair been seen so set and pinned in place, a hair net is usually placed over the head, in the wayshown in Fig. 1, so that the blast of hot air used for drying the hair shall not upset the hair. Since such blast of hot air is unpleasant and frequently hurtful to the ears, ear protectors have to be placed over the ears to keep the blast of hot air away from them.

In accordance with the invention, such ear protector is made of a flat flexible sheet having rated by an inwardly extending separation, the

junction elements being designed to embody means for retaining the junction elementsv in overlapped relation so as to form out of the sheet a relatively strong hollow cup-shaped-like member which may be readily slipped'under the net over the ear of the user without disturbing the overlying hair, While assuring effective protection of the ear canal against blasts of hot air or the like directed'against the wet hair. Shal-' ll, extending inwardly from one of its boundary portions having a greater curvature. The separation or cut II is made-longenoug'h and is so arranged that the sheet portions adjoining the separation ll shall form junction elements i2, I3 by means of which the sheet may be retained in a relatively stiff-cup-shaped formation of substantial strength, shown; in Figs. 3 and 4.

Asshown in Fig. 4, the junction element [2,

which extends in the direction of the longer axis of the overall sheet II], is slightly shortened at the point where its boundary edge adjoins the separation II, so that when it is overlapped over the adjoining junction element iii, the cupshaped ear protector so formed has a substantially even border facing the side of the head adjoining the ear against which the protector is placed. The ear protectors of the invention are designed. to be, shipped to the users inflat,

knocked-down condition, namely, in the form shown in Fig. 4, and to be shaped. into the cupshaped hollow ear protector formation when it is to be .put to use. Ready and easy conversion of a flat sheet formation I16 into a cup-shaped ear protectorat. the place or use is made possible by embodying, in the junction elements l2, I3

of the curved flat sheet formation Ill retaining be embodied in the junction elements l2, l3" by providing one of the junction elements, for instance, the overlapping junction element l2, with a retaining slit I4, and the adjacent junction element I3, with a cut forming therein a tongue I arranged so as to fit into the slit when it is pushed into it while placing the junction elements I2, I3 in overlapped relation, and thereby fixedly retain them in the conical shape shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

To shape out of such flat sheet formation I0, in which form it is shipped, a. cup-shaped ear protector shown in Figs. 2 and 3 at the place of use, the operator has merely to place the shorter junction element I2 over the longer junction element I3, push with the finger the tongue I5 adhesive coating which forms a firm adhering junction only to a similar coating, they will likewise not adhere to each other when stacked in the flat form shown in Fig. 4 for shipment, if, prior to stacking, one of the junction elements, for instance, junction element I2, of each flat sheet blank III, is slightly bent away from its plane, for instance, in outward direction, so as to keep the separations of the flat sheet blanks I0 aligned when they are stacked.

Accordingly, such flat blanks out of which cup-- shaped ear protectors are made at the place of use, may be shipped in fiat, knocked-down form,

through the slit I4 of the overlapping junction element I3, and pull them apart into the interlocked cup-shaped formation.

As shown in Fig. 4, the tongue I 5 vided near its base with recesses I6 so that 'when' the tongue is pushed into the slit II, in the way shown in Fig. 4, one of the tongue recesses I6, for instance, the one near the border of the sheet I0, overlaps the adjacent end of the slit I4 therebystrengthening the interlocking connection between the two elements. The retaining slit I4 and the tongue I5, as well as the recess II, may be embodied in the blank ID in a single stamping or cutting operation when the blank I0 is cut from a sheet of the material out of which it is made. Accordingly, the provision of the retaining means in the junction elements does not increase the cost of the manufacture of the ear protectors.

Alternatively, the surfaces of the junction elements I2, I3, which face each other when they are brought in overlapped relation, may be joined with a dry adhesive coating provided on one or both of the facing surfaces, the adhesive coating being of a character which remains normally dry and does not form an adhering joint with an adjacent sheet surface against which it is placed without external pressure, but to be energizable to adhere to the adjacent surface when it is pressed against the other surface, for instance, by the pressure of the fingers. Adhesive coating substances of this type are described, for instance, in United States Patents 1,760,320 and 1,895,978.

Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 4, the inwardly facing surface of the junction element I2,

bounded by the dotted line I1, and the outwardly facing surface of the junction element I3, bounded by the dotted line I 8, may be coated with a dry adhesive compound, for instance, one of the various latex-type adhesive compounds sold by the U. S. Rubber Company as dry seal adhesives or compounds, which when applied in the form of a coating to a surface which is to be united to another surface will form a good union with the other surface only if it is provided with a similar coating, but will generally not adhere to surfaces which do not have such coating. The term dry seal adhesive coating as used herein, is intended to designate an adhesive coating which firmly adheres to the sheet to which it is originally applied, but which does not form a firm union with another surface unless such other surface has a similar coating or unless its is firmly pressed against such other surface.

Flat sheet blanks, such as shown in Fig. 4, having such dry adhesive coating on only one of the facing junction surfaces, such as I8, will not adhere to each other when stacked for shipment and storage. Similarly, if both facing surfaces of the junction elements I'I, I8 have such dry may be pro-' thereby facilitating their distribution and storage. v,In practice, either a tongue-and-slit junction, such as formed by the tongue I5 and slit I4,or a dry seal junction, is sufilcient for quickly converting flat sheet blanks III of the type shown in Fig. 4 into cup-shaped ear protectors. However, both tongue-and-slit junctions and dry adhesive coatings may be provided on the ear protectors.

Ear protectors of the type shown in Figs. 2 to 4, which may be shipped in fiat form, require for shipping and storing only a fraction of the space that would be required for shipping and storing them in their ultimate cup-shaped form. In addition, the manufacturing cost of such ear protectors is reduced Without in any way increasing the burden placed on the operator, because the simple operation that has to be performed in forming the cup-shaped protector out of the flat sheet blank I0, is less burdensome than the handling of ear protectors that are shipped and stored in their cup-shaped form.

Other modifications of the invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. In Figs. 5 to 7 is shown another form of an ear protector exemplifying the invention. A substantially circular blank 2I of flexible sheet material has formed therein a pointed tongue-like member 22 by providing in the sheet two converging separations merging into a substantially radial separation slit 23 extending between two junction elements 24, 25. As in the protector of Figs. 2 to 4, the junction elements are provided with interlocking slit and tongue elements 26, 21, similar to the slit and tongue elements I4, I5, respectively, of the ear protector of Figs. 2 to 4.

Alternatively, one or both facing surfaces of the junction element indicated by the dotted lines 28, 29 may be coated with a dry adhesive compound for retaining the junction elements 24, 25 in overlapped formation in which the sheet 2I is maintained in a cup-shaped formation shown in Figs. 5 and 6. When the blank 2| is formed into its cup-shaped ear protector structure of Figs. 5 and 6, the tongue-like projection 22'underlies the adjacent edges of the junction elements. The tongue-like member 22 renders the cup-shaped structure formed out of the substantially circular blank 2I somewhat shallower.

Various other modifications of the invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. It is accordingly desired that the appended claims be construed broadly and that they shall not be limited to the specific details shown and described in connection with the exemplifications thereof.

I claim:

1. In ear protector means, a fiat sheet blank having a curved border and normally retained in its flat formation so as to permit it to be stored and shipped as a part of a stack of similar flat sheet blanks, a separation extending from the interior of said sheet blank to said border, the portions of said sheet blank having edges adjoining said separation constituting junction elements arranged and designed to embody in the fiat condition of said blank retaining means for retaining said junction elements in overlapped relation in which said flat sheet blank is retained in the form of a hollow cup-like member fitting over and protecting the ear of a person against a blast of air or the like, one of said junction elements being cut to form therein a slit and the other of said junction elements being cut to form therein a tongue adapted to be interlockingly inserted into said slit when said junction elements are placed in overlapped relation so as to be retained therein, predetermined portions of each of said junction elements which face each other in their overlapped condition being provided with a pressure-sensitive dry coating adapted to interlockingly retain them in their overlapped relation.

2. In ear protector means, a flat sheet blank having a curved border and normally retained in its flat formation so as to permit it to be stored and shipped as a part of a stack of similar flat sheet blanks, a separation extending from the interior of said sheet blank to said border, the portions of said sheet blank having edges adjoining said separation constituting junction elements arranged and designed to embody in the flat condition of said blank retaining means for retaining said junction elements in overlapped relation in which said fiat sheet blank is retained in the form of a hollow cup-like member fitting over and protecting the ear of a person against a blast of air or the like, one of said junction elements being cut to form therein a slit and the other of said junction elements being cut to form therein a tongue adapted to be interlockingly inserted into said slit when said junction elements are placed in overlapped relation so as to be retained therein.

3. In ear protector means, a fiat sheet blank having a curved border and normally retained in its flat formation so as to permit it to be stored and shipped as a part of a stack of similar flat sheet blanks, a separation extending from the interior of said sheet blank to said border, the portions of said sheet blanks having edges adjoining said separation constituting junction elements arranged and designed to embody in the flat condition of said stack retaining means for retaining said junction elements in overlapped relation in which said fiat sheet blank is retained in the form of a hollow cup-like member fitting over and protecting the ear of a person against a blast of air or the like, predetermined portions of each of said junction elements which face each other in their overlapped condition being provided with a pressure-sensitive dry coating adapted to interlockingly retain them in their overlapped relation.

4. An ear protector as defined by claim 3, characterized by the fact that the coated surface portions of said junction elements are so shaped 

